2-28-2012 USA Softball Honors Gerhart as Player of the Week

Stanford’s Gerhart selected USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week

OKLAHOMA CITY —Stanford junior pitcher Teagan Gerhart has been selected as the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week for Feb. 20-26, the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America announced today. To earn the second Player of the Week award of her career, Gerhart (Norco, Calif.) pitched the Cardinal to a 5-0 record at the Cathedral City Classic in Palm Springs, Calif.

“It is a tremendous honor to be named USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week,” Gerhart said. “This would not have been possible without the outstanding play of my teammates. We had a great weekend and won some big games against good opponents. I take great pride in playing for and representing Stanford University and we are excited to make a run at the NCAA Women’s College World Series later this season.”

Gerhart finished the weekend with 30 strikeouts, allowing only one run (earned) in 31.2 innings of work. She issued just four walks and 12 hits, with only one hit being for extra bases, to hold Stanford’s five opponents to a .109 batting average.

She posted a 0.22 ERA in five appearances, which included a complete-game shutouts against Long Island. Gerhart also posted a complete-game shutout against No. 6 Oklahoma on Friday, handing the Sooners just their second loss of the season. She was also instrumental in Stanford’s wins over Long Beach State, New Mexico State and San Diego State.

“I’d like to thank ASA and USA Softball for recognizing Teagan Gerhart’s performance last week at the Cathedral City Classic,” said Stanford Head Coach John Rittman. “Teagan has worked extremely hard and is very deserving of this recognition. She’s a true competitor and an outstanding leader on our team both on and off the field. We’re excited for her and proud of the way she is performing right now.”

With the impressive performance in Palm Springs, Stanford improved from No. 15 to No. 10 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll, marking the first time the Cardinal have been ranked in the Top 10 this season. After Week 1, Stanford was No. 12.

Gerhart was also the USA Softball Player of the Week for March 15-21, 2010. In that week, the freshman had 26.0 scoreless innings with 34 strikeouts, walking just one batter and giving up three hits for a 0.00 ERA.